Saturday, August 02, 2014

New IGP Declares War on Terror
Newly sworn in Nigerian IGP Suleiman Abba.
by OMEIZA AJAYI on Aug 2, 2014
Nigerian National Mirror

•Says: ‘I’ll not personalise policies

Nigeria’s 17th indigenous Inspector General of Police, IGP Suleiman Abba, yesterday formally assumed the reins of power with a declaration to effectively tackle terrorism and other violent crimes.

Abba, however, said he would not make the mistake of personalising the policies of the force.

He declared that it was unfortunate that that had been the case in the past. He said, “the recent upsurge in security challenges will have my full attention.

I am committed to address these issues and reaffirm the high standards of performance for which the Nigeria Police is nationally and internationally acclaimed.”

Abba however said it was sad that those who were responsible for the current vision and mission of the force decided to personalise it and consequently attributed it to his immediate predecessor, Mr Mohammed Abubakar.

The new police boss said the situation ought not be so, adding that the vision of an organisation must not be attributed to one person. “It has never been my intention to do anything to touch the current vision and mission that we have in place.

Unfortunately, those responsible for the vision and mission we have been using, they have been personalised to my immediate predecessor.

“The vision and mission of an organisation is permanent and it is that of the organisation. That is why I took time almost immediately after the announcement to perfect what I feel and believe and in consultation too with some of my colleagues to come out with a vision that will have nothing to do with my name or my person, but it will be the vision and mission of the Nigeria Police Force”, he said.

According to him, the new vision of the force “from today on is to be a leading national, professional and efficient law enforcement organisation”, with a mission to provide safety and security in Nigerian communities, protect and respect human rights and promote community partnership in preventing and controlling social disorder. “As for our values, they shall be hardwork, honesty and humility.

These I call the “’Triple H’ (thought without reference to the wrestler). In any case he was a strong guy and he used to respect the rules. You will never see him go into the ring with a hammer.

We are going to have implicit values. They will be attached to our objectives” Abba added. According to him, it has become necessary to give attention to specific issues that are of critical concern to the nation and the police.

He said as the leading law enforcement institution in Nigeria, the Force is daily in the limelight. “Whatever we do, and do not do, attracts attention. However, as a progressive organization, we take very kindly criticisms and accept the responsibility to address our challenges and remedy our shortcomings”, he said.

Abba however lamented that today, no one is more critical of the Nigeria Police Force than itself, but promised that his leadership shall be self-searching, as he continually aspires to keep the country safe by working with, for and through the communities.

He said he had gained valuable insight and experience to appreciate the challenges the Police and the country are facing. “It is based on these experiences that I intend to formulate a vision and strategy for leading the Force to its prime”, he stated.

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